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Bard College Athletics

Bess Greenberg

Greenberg is in her first season as the assistant coach for the women's lacrosse team entering Fall 2025, and her second season as part of the Bard coaching staff. 

In 2024-25, Greenberg was inducted into the Jewish Sports Heritage Association.

Greenberg brings a rich history of coaching, athletic achievements, and academic experience.

As a women's basketball player, Greenberg is a Binghamton University Hall of Famer. She was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008. Greenberg played for the Bearcats from 1997 to 01 and graduated with a bachelor's degree in English. A two-time Division II All-American, she held the school's all-time scoring record for 17 years, with 2,024 career points. With Greenberg in the starting lineup, Binghamton teams averaged more than 24 wins a season and enjoyed a lofty win percentage of 86% (97-16). She was the ECAC Rookie of the Year for a BU team that was ranked No. 5 in the country. She was named both NECC and ECAC Player of the Year and earned honorable mention All-America honors as a sophomore.  Greenberg's junior season was near perfect, as the first team All-American guided the Bearcats to a 27-2 record (16-0 in conference) and a commanding ECAC Division II crown. Her senior year, BU finished 22-7 and secured a second straight runaway ECAC championship. She was named the tournament's MVP for the second straight year.

After her collegiate career, she played and coached overseas for five years, playing at Horsholm, Denmark and Ramat-Hasharon, Israel. Greenberg was named MVP in the Danish Basketball League and MVP in the Israeli Cup and was the first female to coach in the top division of the men's league in Denmark. 

On the academic side, Greenberg was a three-time academic All-American and was also the recipient of the 2001 NCAA Woman of the Year award for the State of New York. She was the University's "Athlete of the Year" in 1998-99 and 1999-00. 

Greenberg, named a Jack Kent Cooke Scholar from Binghamton University, went on to earn her Master of Fine Arts degree from Bard College at The International Center of Photography in New York City. She was selected as an Eddie Adams Workshop Award Winner, an Ian Perry Finalist, and worked as a photojournalist for The New York Times before becoming the founder/curator of 25CPW, an art gallery on NYC's Central Park West, which she operated for five years. She currently works as a musician and visual artist.